BRIDGEPORT -- Christopher Toole is being forced by police to dismantle his urban farm, but he hopes to do it on his own terms.

And if that means butchering the animals the city allowed him to accumulate on public land, so be it.

"The analogy I'm using is you've got a front yard full of cars. The landlord ... told you to remove the cars," Toole said Friday. "People come up and said, `Donate the cars to us.' OK, that's one option. Another is to sell the cars or, in our case, keep in mind we are growing animals because my children need food."

`They're his animals'

Raymond Connors, head of the state Department of Agriculture's animal control division, has been concerned about Toole's setup since first learning of the situation last fall from Hearst Connecticut Newspapers.

"They're his animals," Connors said, but he cautioned any effort by Toole to sell meat or poultry would require federal oversight.

This wasn't the outcome Mayor Bill Finch had in mind last year when he took a chance on Toole, an allegedly burned out and penniless bank executive from New York City who had gained some media attention there raising urban tilapia.

After moving his girlfriend and two sons to Bridgeport, Toole began raising several hens at their apartment.

The health department told him to stop, so Finch, who is trying to find ways to bring fresh food to the inner-city, allowed Toole to move the birds to land at the city's animal shelter.

By the time Hearst reported on the situation last October, Toole had what the mayor's office dubbed an experimental urban farm, complete with chickens, goats, donkeys and pigs. There appeared to be no formal contract or lease tied to the deal.

Connors and his inspectors briefly quarantined the site until Toole had invested what he estimated to be about $2,000 to bring the situation up to code. Agriculture inspectors made several more visits, and the city's police department -- which runs the animal shelter -- also kept an eye on the situation.

But as the calendar turned to January, patience at both agencies was wearing thin. Police officials, in particular, were growing frustrated with Toole's use of city resources and property. They also worried about the liability to the city.

Deputy Assistant Police Chief James Nardozzi was charged with figuring out a solution.

At the same time, Toole was accumulating animals -- he bought additional pigs and his goats were pregnant -- and at Finch's urging, he sought to partner with a nonprofit organization to legitimize his operation.

This past week, Toole announced on his Facebook page that the police had given him 30 days to relocate all but six chickens.

The decision was subsequently confirmed by a police spokesman.

"The police department has had several meetings with Mr. Toole in recent months to express concerns and expectations," spokesman Bill Kaempffer said. "A determination was made that it was in the best interest for the animals to have Mr. Toole find new homes for them. Assistant Chief Nardozzi has offered to assist Mr. Toole in placing the animals in appropriate farms and he already has started the effort."

"Thank God," said Joan Poster, a Westport veterinarian who runs her own farm and, at the urging of some concerned animal advocates, had begun informally advising Bridgeport police on the Toole situation.

Poster recently diagnosed some of Toole's pigs with pneumonia, exacerbating concerns that Toole couldn't properly care for the animals during the severe cold.

Sanctuary of slaughter

Poster hopes to find sanctuary for the animals, adding that she is particularly concerned about the pregnant goats.

Toole, meanwhile, said he is "desperately looking to avoid" butchering his animals. "I don't wish to slaughter a pregnant goat," he said. "(But) it doesn't make sense to me to give away that goat for nothing."

Through the winter, Finch's office had been mum about Toole's future. On Friday, Toole held out hope that the mayor remained in his corner.

"Right about the time the police were telling me (to leave), the mayor was in Washington D.C., (at a conference)," Toole said. "So the timing was interesting ... I have the distinct impression if we got a business plan together and a nonprofit to sign off on it, there's still a possibility of a long-term lease."

But on Friday, Finch's chief administrative officer, Andrew Nunn, said in a statement that the mayor was not about to question his police department.

"When Mr. Toole approached us, we believed it would be an interesting experiment to see if an urban farm could succeed in Bridgeport. The concept was admirable and had promise," Nunn said.

"Unfortunately, I think Chris expanded too quickly and beyond what was discussed. He found himself in over his head. The police department made the right call."